Myles Kennedy: Chris Cornell Was a ‘Talent That Comes Along Once Every Few Decades’

While at Rock on the Range, we asked a number of artists about their thoughts on Chris Cornell, as Soundgarden were scheduled to headline the first night of the festival before the singer apparently took his life only a couple nights earlier. One of those who spoke eloquently about the grunge legend's talents was Alter Bridge / Slash vocalist Myles Kennedy, who also related a personal story about Cornell.

As a young musician growing up in Washington, Kennedy was profoundly influenced by Cornell. The Alter Bridge vocalist told Loudwire Nights host Toni Gonzalez, "He was really one of the architects for what we do. He was a talent that comes along once every few decades. He was an amazing songwriter, brilliant lyricist and obviously had that golden voice."

Kennedy added, "He was definitely an inspiration ... to me early on as a young artist 'cause I lived in Spokane, Wash., and I remember in the '80s hearing about this band called Soundgarden just over the hill. They were really the first band that I was aware of that had the opportunity to take their music to the national level."

The Alter Bridge singer went on to say that Cornell's voice "was kind of unparalleled in a way," and also shared a personal story of singing with Cornell at a birthday party for the Soundgarden singer's then-wife Susan. For the full story, watch the video interview above.